Meet The Team | Chris Batham
Welcome to the latest instalment of our meet the team series, which, as the title implies will dive into the background of the amazing people that make up The Finish Line. Meet Chris Batham who joined us in March 2015.
Born in Birmingham but ultimately relocating to Cornwall, for as long as Chris can remember he helped his dad on the infamous milk round. Often the highest selling route in the region, Chris would clock up over 16 hours a week whilst still achieving at school. A great feat at the tender age of 14. Not only did it act as a great substitute to a gym membership but taught Chris discipline as well as basic business principles; the more effort you put in, the more you get out. Working all weathers, often in the middle of the night and as fast as he could, Chris developed a gritty determination he can still call upon.
A chance visit to see his sister in London subsequently put the wheels in motion for a drastic career change. Going into her work at Channel Four (the early days of 124) was a real eye-opener. Seduced by all the fantastic kit (and the fact you could get paid to work on it!) she let him have a go. A few months later, installed in her spare room, Chris bombarded post production companies with a CV, gusto and enthusiasm. Refusing to use any of her contacts he stubbornly forged a path of his own and it took only a few days to get a job as a runner. To put it simply it was like swapping milk bottles for film cans and Umatics! Not long after he was in front of an Avid racking up a plethora of overtime in the ingest and conforming department, shortly followed by a spell in the glamorous library. This lead to the role of VT Op preceded by in-house Online editor over a period of 11 years which Chris still describes as his best job ever: “I really love my work and the time freelancing allows me to spend with my family.”
We asked Chris what advice he would give to his younger self to which he replied:
I wouldn’t tell my former self anything… Maybe just tell him it’s going to be OK. Keep going and trust your instincts. I’ve always loved taking things apart, seeing how they worked and fit together; finding the detail. And grafting. So I love the challenges editing and colouring bring. They appeal to that perfectionist grafter in me. So, play to your strengths and work hard!
You can find Chris’ credit list here and for bookings drop us an email on bookings@nullthefinishline.pro
